In 1917, almost 90 years before Viagra became a billion dollar mainstream business, one Kansas doctor believed that he could cure impotence by transplanting goat testicles into men. Yes, you read that correctly. Go ahead, take a moment to let it sink in.
During Depression-era America, John Romulus Brinkley transplanted thousands of goat testicles into willing patients, amassed an enormous fortune, was (sort of) elected Governor of Kansas, invented the infomercial, and built the world’s most powerful radio station, all while generally annoying the hell out of The Establishment.
“I started dreaming up a film about John Brinkley in 2009, after coming across the book Charlatan in my local public library. In conversations with friends I would mention this guy who transplanted goat testicles into men to cure impotence. And a lot of people would ask me, “Well, did it work?” Well… no, of course it didn’t. But I began to think about how much people want to believe in miracle cures. The weirder the better, really.”
Borrowing a page from Brinkley, filmmaker Penny Lane (OUR NIXON) masterfully charms us into believing the unbelievable, building our trust and excitement, until the final chapter bares the painful truth and reveals the doctor for what he truly was (I won’t spoil it here).
“I believe that more than any other single human quality, it is our love of great stories that makes us so endlessly susceptible to being conned. We believe the stories we want or need to believe, and we believe anyone who tells them to us. Con men know this. So do politicians, propagandists, pitchmen, cult leaders, televangelists, pick up artists and manipulators of all kinds – including documentary filmmakers.”
Today, Cartuna globally releases the deluxe edition of NUTS! on BitTorrent, which includes the Sundance Award winning documentary, an exclusive archive of Brinkley’s XERA recordings, a collection of Brinkley’s infomercials and home videos, original prints of Brinkley propaganda materials and FCC complaints against Doctor John Brinkley.
Charlatan or true believer, entrepreneur or opportunist, NUTS! is the story of a true American dreamer.
Free
NUTS! -Trailer.mp4
Dr. John Brinkley Special Patient Address.mp4
Sundance Meet the Artist 2016 - Penny Lane.mp4
Buy - Pay What You Want
NUTS! - Feature Film.mp4
Archival Footage - Dr. Brinkley Homevideo.mp4
Infomercial - Gland Transplanting.mp4
Archival Footage- Vacation Part 1.mp4
Archival Footage- Vacation Part 2.mp4
FCC Complaints about Doctor John Brinkley.zip
Dr. John Brinkley XERA Recordings.zip
Shadows and Sunshine - PDF book by Doctor John Brinkley.zip